Silver&Gold
by Jaybee4
Summary: While walking through the ark, Allen falls through a door and ends up in another world! But which one?  Rated T for slight shonen-ai
1. The Encounter

_**These are my top 2 anime favorites!**_

_**Try to guess what the second anime is :)**_

~~The Encounter~~

Allen Walker walked through the ark with Timcampy in tow. The interrogations from the Order were starting to become a heavy stress on the boy and he needed to calm down. He was excused from missions at the moment only because the Order wanted to keep a close watch on him. But he's had enough. People regarded him with suspicion, knowing that the 14th was inside of him. Even his friends acted a little awkwardly around him.

_Link's probably looking for me right now_. He thought to himself. _But I need my space. An hour or two away from the Order won't hurt._

He was heading to the piano room where only he could enter, when he spotted a door with a piece of paper taped to it. There was a huge question mark written on it. Allen opened the door to find nothing on the other side, just complete darkness. Many rooms were like this; big oblivious black holes that lead to nowhere, except, this one had a feint light coming from the ground. "What do you think that is, Timcampy"

The golden orb fluttered around his head and sped right inside. "No, wait!" Allen reached out to grab him, lost his balance, and fell inside.

Falling.

Falling.

The deeper he fell, the brighter the light became, almost blinding him.

Suddenly, he hit the ground hard and the light was overcome with darkness.

/*/*/*

"Nyanko-sensei!" A blond, golden-eyed boy called out into the forest. _Damn that cat. Always running off and leaving me behind._ He sighed and continued his search, expecting to find the chubby cat drinking with some of his friends.

He saw something fly from the corner of his eye, something gold. Quickly, he ducked and hid himself behind a bush. _Was that a youkai just now?_ Cautiously, he looked around.

Suddenly, a small golden orb with wings and a tail popped out right in front of him, making the boy fall back on his butt. The thing flew a little closer, but kept its distance as if not wanting to scare him even more.

After a while, the youth decided that the golden orb was harmless and held out a hand, palm up. The thing flew up to him and settled down, letting him stroke it with his other hand. "Are you some kind of youkai?"

The small round body shook and flew back into the air. It went a few feet then stopped to turn back to him, wanting him to follow. The blond boy stood up and hesitated. He knew better than to follow strange creatures, especially when his "protector" wasn't with him. Still, he didn't feel any bad aura coming from the small creature and decided to tag along.

They moved through the trees for about five minutes when they came across a small clearing where a lone stone statue stood. "This is Gen's place." The boy muttered to himself. The little ball with wings had lost itself in the field of flowers. Looking around, he noticed a dark lump on the ground. Standing over it, he saw that it was a boy about his age, sleeping on the ground with the golden ball sitting on his head.

The boy was strange, though, with pale skin and silver hair. He was lying on his side so that the yellow eyes could see a red pattern over one of the boy's eyes.

"Oi! What are you doing here?" A voice called from within the forest.

Startled, the standing boy looked up to find an overweight white cat with a gray and orange strip running down his head and back. "Oh, it's just you, Nyanko-sensei."

"What do you mean, 'just you'?" The cat argued, looking offended. "One shouldn't use that tone with their master, especially to someone as refined as myself." He trotted over on tiny legs and sat at his feet. "What's this?" He asked, eyeing the sleeping boy.

"That's what I was asking myself. Can you tell if he's human?"

Nyanko-sensei leaned his head in and sniffed. "Yup, he's human. Although he has a very strange smell on him." Without warning, he head-butted the silver haired boy in the stomach, making him groan.

The blond boy pounced on the cat and lifted him in the air. "What are you doing?"

"Just making sure he's alive." The cat received a punch on the head for that statement and was dropped on the floor.

The Japanese male kneeled down over the other. "What should we do with him?"

"Leave him there. He's not our problem." The cat grumbled, massaging his sore spot.

After some thinking, the boy made his decision. "I'll take him with me."

The fat feline eyed him. "You sure about this?"

He nodded. "Carry him into my room through the window, and make sure that no one sees you, or him for that matter."

The cat answered with a _tch_ and blew up in smoke. In his place now stood a massive white fox. "You owe me some of Nanatsujiya's sweet buns for this." He growled and picked up the unconscious figure in its mouth and flew off. The golden ball remained behind.

"You can come with me if you want." The boy addressed the small companion who fluttered around his head once before diving into his shirt, concealing itself. Sighing, he began making his way back home, wondering if this really was a good idea.

**_Can you guess?_**

**_I tried putting as many clues as I could without giving it away completely._**

**_If you can't guess, then you'll find out by the next chapter._**

**_Please review.  
_**


	2. The Awakening

_**Ok, I tried not to get all OOC with everyone**_

_**Disclaimer: I neither own DGM or Natsume Youjinchou, I'm just a very big fan  
**_

~~The Awakening~~

_Something's not right._ That was the first thought that ran through Allen's head once he regained consciousness. His bed was too hard, almost like he was lying on the floor. His eyes opened slightly,_ I don't remember having a ceiling like that._ He tried lifting himself but a pain in his shoulder made him stop. He groaned, _why does it hurt so much?_

Then he heard voices, male, but couldn't make out what they were saying. His brain was fully functioning now and he opened his eyes completely. He was staring at a pair of golden brown eyes. "Who are you?"

The boy looked at him curiously and turned back to speak to someone behind him. What language is that? Looking back down at him, he said "Takashi Natsume." He continued in broken English. "whu arr yuu?" There was laughter as the boy turned back around to yell at whoever was behind him.

"Allen Walker." He said as he sat up and surveyed the small room he was in. This, for sure, wasn't his room. Suddenly, the memories flooded back; walking through the ark, finding the mysterious door, and falling through. "Where am I?" He asked the boy.

Natsume scratched his chin with his index finger. "Eto…yuu arr in mai house. Yuu wer sleepen on ground." There was more laughter behind him.

Allen looked past the other boy but could only see a fat cat. Am I hearing things now? He shook his head and suddenly remembered his small friend. "Timcampy!"

Nodding his head, Natsume went over to the other side of the small room, took something from a box on the ground, and sat besides Allen. He opened his hand and out flew the golden winged golem. Allen smiled in relief to see at least one familiar object. He held out his hand, "Thank you."

Smiling as well, Natsume reached out to take the handshake, but as soon as their hands touched, they received a shock that made them yank back their hands. "Ite, that hurt."

Allen looked at the blond boy. "Hey, I understood what you said."

Natsume showed a puzzled expression. "I can understand you too."

They both looked at their own hands, then back at each other simultaneously. Allen was the one to recover from the small surprise first. "I know I already asked this before, but, where am I?"

"You're in XYZ (don't know the name of the village)." Seeing the confused look in the silver eyes, he continued. "In Japan."

"Japan! Why did I end up all the way here?"

"That's what we would like to know." The white cat trotted over and sat on the futon.

"That cat just talked." Allen mumbled then slapped himself on the face with both hands. "This is a dream. It has to be. Wake up Allen, wake up."

He had his eyes closed, willing himself to wake up. When he opened his eyes, he was staring at a large furry face. "You can hear me speak?"

Surprised, Allen flung his hands out, sending the cat flying across the room.

"Nyanko-sensei, don't scare him." Natsume called out.

"That little silk worm, I'LL EAT YOU WHOLE!" The cat pounce from where he landed, mouth opened wide, but was sent in a different direction by Natsume's fist.

"Knock it off." Sighing, Natsume addressed Allen, "so, you can really hear him?"

"Yeah. What is it?"

Natsume hesitated in answering. Should he really tell him about youkai? _No,_ he decided, _at least, not yet. Maybe he's like Tanuma and can only sense them._ "Just call him Nyako-sensei." He smiled. "Anyways, we should figure out how you got here and how to send you back."

Allen chuckled nervously, scratching his head. "Actually, I kind of already know how I got here and how to go back." He noticed Natsume looking at his darkened hand. "Oh, this is my anti-akuma weapon." He held out his hand for him to see.

"Anti-akuma weapon?"

"Well, they're not real akuma; more like machines with the soul of the dead trapped inside of them. They're created by the Millennium Earl to kill humans."

Allen explained it all in such a composed matter that Natsume wasn't sure whether to believe him or not. He was saved from responding by Nyanko-sensei. "All that sounds fishy, but your arm does give off a weird scent. And you say it kills akuma, right?"

"Yeah."

"And this Millennium Earl, he creates them?" Seeing the silver hair bob with a nod, he asked, "so he must be strong." The cat sat back down on the futon and searched his brain for some kind of connection. "Nope. I can't think of anyone with that kind of power." Suddenly, he turned to the blond teen. "Natsume, let's take this silk worm (_silk worm?_ thought Allen) and see if he can do anything to the youkai. There's this really annoying one, always making mischief where me and these other drink. Maybe we could get him cleansed or something." He made his way out of the door while he spoke.

"Nyanko-sensei! We can't just drag him with us."

"It's fine. After all, you did bring me all of the way here while I was unconscious." Allen stood up and began following the cat.

"Ok. But first," he eyed the exorcist uniform Allen was currently wearing, "maybe you should wear some of my clothes."

_**Natsume and Allen seem very similar, or is that just me?**_

_**both are pale (in my POV), thin, and can see things others can't**_

_**& they're both uke material lol:)**_

_**i'll try to get a real plot going by the next ch.  
**_


	3. The Innocence

_**Sorry Timcampy! I'll give you an actual role in the next chapter.**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own DGM or Natsume Youjinchou  
**_

~~The Innocence~~

Although it was a warm day outside, Allen wore a long-sleeved shirt to hide his arm, jeans, and a beanie to mask his silver hair. Nothing much could be done about the mark on his eye, so that was left alone. "These are some really weird clothes." Allen stared down at the sneakers he was wearing; he was used to wearing boots most of the time.

"Your outfit was weirder than this." Natsume spoke next to him. "I'm just glad it fit you."

"And that would be because you're both skinny and frail. Honestly, you two need to feed those thin limbs of yours." Nyanko-sensei was leading both boys through the forest, ignoring Natsume's complaints of not going through with it.

_Reiko…_

Natsume stopped in his tracks and looked around. He was sure he heard a whisper somewhere. "Is something wrong?" Allen stopped besides him.

"It was nothing." Natsume smiled. There's no point in dragging him into this deeper.

"Hey! Don't fall behind." The cat called to them once he noticed that they'd stopped.

"We should follow h-" Allen was cut of by his left eye, which reacted to something hidden in the trees. Through the gear that appeared before him, he saw a figure almost seven feet tall advance towards them at high speed. "Look out!" He grabbed Natsume by the arm and pulled him back, slimly avoiding the thing that crashed onto the ground where Natsume was standing only moments ago.

Both boys stepped back to a safe distance and watched the strange figure. From the back, it looked like a girl with long, wire-like black hair, but her body was stretched out abnormally and only her torso was covered by a simple potato sack with holes for sleeves. It landed like a cat, hunched up on all fours. Slowly, it stood up but kept it face hidden by hair. "Rei..ko…" It croaked. "Hand it…over…"

_It's after the book of friends_. Natsume snuck a peek at the silver-haired boy who stared intently at the figure before them. _No doubt he can see them too. But what's that thing over his eye?_a

His fingers curled up, ready to punch if necessary, but was saved from the trouble of having to. Allen pulled him back again placing himself in front of the blond boy. The youkai stumbled a few steps forward before launching itself at them. "HAND IT OVER!"

Allen activated his innocence and slashed his arm at it. It went through the youkai smoothly, just as if he were cutting through air, but the damage was evident. Its mouth opened in the shape of an _O _as it let out a high-pitched scream before disappearing in a flash of light.

Instead of staring at where the youkai used to be like Allen, Natsume stared at the boy covered by a white coat and enlarged arm. "What just happened?"

"He purified the youkai." That was the moment that the cat decided to join in.

"And just where were you?"

"That was a weak one. Fighting with that one would've ruined my reputation." He licked his paw indifferently. "But anyways," he turned to Allen, "show me that arm of yours."

"Oh, ok." He gave Natsume a puzzled look before kneeling down in front of the cat.

Nyanko-sensei sniffed it. "That's a strong power you have. It could probably purify any youkai, except maybe me, of course. Still, it's dangerous." He circled Allen. "That coat you're wearing emits the same smell. You also seem to be able to sense other youkai close by." He completed his round and sat, eying him suspiciously. "Exactly who are you?"

"An exorcist. My job is to destroy the akuma and defeat the Earl, as well as those who follow him." _Like the Noah_, he thought bitterly. "I work for the Black Order, an organization who's against the Earl."

"And these akuma, they're machines with a soul trapped inside." Natsume looked at Nyanko-sensei. "Is that possible?"

"But these akuma are everywhere." Allen protested, standing up. "They've been attacking the world for years. And the soul can only be released by an exorcist, an accommodator to the innocence, which is what my arm is made out of."

Natsume and his cat looked at each other. Should they believe what the strange boy was saying? But he had plenty of proof with him.

Finally, Nyanko-sensei sighed, coming up with a conclusion. "As far as I know, there is no such thing as the Earl or the Black Order. But, much like there is this human world and the world of youkai that overlaps it, it could be possible that you come from your own world."

/*/*/*

Meanwhile…

Kanda, Lavi, Lenalee, and Komoui stared at the opened door before them.

"Do you think Allen went inside." Lenalee peered through the doorway, careful not to fall inside.

"It's quite possible." Komui sipped some of his sister's coffee. "But we can't send anyone there without knowing anything about this doorway." He stepped forward, unclipped a pen from his chest pocket, and dropped it in the room.

All four of them leaned in to hear. "I think it hit the ground." Lavi said after a moment.

"Then that means that there is, in fact, a bottom." Komui theorized. He stood up straight and pointed at Lavi and Kanda. "I'll be sending the both of you inside to look for Allen."

"Why do I have to look for that damn moyashi?" Kanda complained.

"No arguing. Now go get some rope."

Once Lavi came back with the rope, he commenced in tying one end to a post just opposite the door and threw the other end into the black abyss. He patted Kanda on the back. "It's been a while since we've gone on a missing together, right?"

Kanda only glared at him, which was all he had to do to get the redhead to back away instantly. "Let's just get this over with." He took hold of the rope and began his decent.

Before Lavi followed, Komui grabbed him by the shoulder and held out a black golem. "Use this to communicate back to us."

"Right!" Lavi sat at the edge, took hold of the rope, and jumped in. He shuffled down a few feet above Kanda.

"Good luck." Lenalee called out. She and her brother were too busy watching them that they failed to notice the post start to give way. The weight of two men was too much and it was pulled from the ground, sending Kanda and Lavi down and into the blaring light, screaming in surprise.

/*/*/*

Around that same moment…

Tanuma walked into the clearing that he'd heard Natsume talk about. The story about the snow bunny caught his interest and he wanted to see the stone statue for himself. He knew he wouldn't be able to see anything, but he still found himself going towards that clearing.

He touched the cool stone, feeling a little sad over what had happened to the other statue that used to stand there as well. The statue reminded him of Natsume; the way he was always alone, but kept the same face, smiling no matter what. He wanted his friend to open up a little and not face everything on his own. He should rely on others instead of just Ponta.

Suddenly, it hit him, and it wasn't an idea. Something literally hit him as it fell from the sky, sending him to the ground and unconsciousness.

**_I just had to add Kanda, Lavi, and Tanuma and might add Natori into the mix as well_**

**_Now I just have to come up with different pairings :)  
_**


	4. The Girl

_**Hope you don't mind if there's an OC here, but I felt the need to add her for future explanations**_

_**Enjoy :)**_

_**disclaimer: DGM and Natsume Youjinchou don't belong to me (I can only wish)  
**_

~~The Girl~~

Allen didn't believe the cat because, well, he was a cat, and Natsume just wasn't sure whether Nyanko-sensei could actually be trusted for the information he gave.

Nyanko-sensei caught on to their thoughts quickly. "How dare you doubt me? I didn't have to tell you this, you know."

"Ok, ok." Natsume held out his hands in defense. "But coming from another world?"

"Would you rather hear it from someone other than me?" The cat asked crossly.

Natsume chose his next words carefully. "Maybe from someone more experience with the topic."

"Hmp!" Nyanko-sensei turned his tail to them and began trotting away. "There is this spirit who knows about different worlds, but, we face a small problem."

"I'll help too." Allen offered.

" You're useless."

Allen was a little taken aback at the rude comment.

"What's the problem?" Natsume asked.

"This spirit is a little like Hinoe."

Allen saw the blond boy frown a little. "Hinoe? Is that bad?"

"Not bad, it's just that, a person like Hinoe…" Natsume thought of the right words to describe her but simply went to the point. "She hates men."

"But I'm sure that if we explain things, she'll understand." Allen hoped.

"Nope." Nyanko-sensei turned his head to him. "She doesn't even want to look at men. She'll run off the moment she notices you can see her."

Allen paused. "We don't really need to talk to her, though. It's not like I don't know how to get back. Look, I'll show you." He closed his eyes and tried connecting to the ark, willing a door to appear before him. Nothing happened.

"Nothing happened." The cat stated after Allen opened his eyes.

"I can't get a strong enough connection." He scratched his head. "I guess we do need to speak to the spirit."

"Then we'll need to find a way to get her to speak to us." Natsume shrugged. "We'll have to find a girl to do it for us. Or dress up as one."

He'd meant the last part as a joke, but Allen and the cat stared at him. _Can't do much about his body, but with and with a skirt and wig…_

/*/*/*

"Did we accidently kill him?" Lavi stared worryingly at the dark-haired boy laying between the two exorcist.

"No, you idiot. He just fainted."

"How's the scene to you?" Komui's voice asked through the black golem floating over their heads.

"Open meadow. Surrounded by trees. Stone statue a few feet away." Kanda replied.

"Kanda! Kanda! He's waking up!"

"Don't yell my name when I'm right here!" Seriously, being paired up with Lavi was more tiring than the actual mission.

Lavi was kneeling over the waking boy while Kanda chose to stand. "Is it the boy that's waking up?" Asked the golem/Komui.

"Yes."

The boy sat up, rubbing his head and muttered to himself. "What hit me?"

Kanda noticed that the boy spoke Japanese and used it as well. "Who are you?"

"Huh?" Tanuma finally realized that he was surrounded by two strangers in weird uniforms. He regarded them with suspicion. "Satoshi Mabera." He lied.

"Don't worry, we won't do anything bad to you." Lavi grinned.

The long-haired boy raised an eyebrow. "You know Japanese?"

"Well, I am the next bookman, so it's only appropriate that I know more than one language." He stood and offered his hand to Tanuma. He took it but snatched it back when he felt a small shock after the contact. "Ow. What was that?" He paused and looked confused for a second. "I spoke Japanese."

"You just said you could, as the next bookman." Kanda said, annoyed.

"Yeah, but, I'm not really trying. What I say just comes out as Japanese."

"Meaning?"

"Exactly what I said."

While the two discussed, Tanuma took that chance to leave the two weirdoes. He was slowly sneaking away (in a sort of crouch) when Kanda noticed him and grabbed him by the arm. He, too, was stung and let go. But before Tanuma could make a run for it, he was held by the back of collar. "You can't leave yet." Kanda hissed, obviously angry about the shock.

"Hey, calm down." Lavi managed to make his partner release the other boy. "Don't mind him." He smiled at Tanuma. "But we would appreciate it if you could answer a few questions."

Tanuma fixed his wrinkled shirt. "What kind of questions?"

"Where are we, for one."

"Japan."

It was Kanda who answered. "And how would you know that?"

"He is speaking Japanese."

"Good point." Lavi turned back to the boy and grinned. "We're looking for someone. Have you seen a boy about this tall, white hair, and red mark over his eye? Oh, and he has a big appetite."

Tanuma shook his head. They didn't look like such bad people, at least, one of them didn't. And they were probably around his own age or a little older. "But I can show you into town."

"Thanks! I'm Lavi, by the way. And that's Kanda."

"And I'm Komui~!" The golem flew right into his face, making him jump back.

"What's that?"

Kanda snatched it from the air. "Stop doing that."

"That's a small device that allows us to communicate back to our headquarters." Lavi explained.

The boy decided to make anymore comments. These two (three, counting the golem) were definitely strange, and the sooner he parted ways with them, the better. "The village's this way." He pointed into the trees briefly and began leading the way.

"I don't mean to hasten your search, but you really should hurry." Komui said.

"We'll find that damn moyashi."

"As soon as you do, br…here… don't…ssing…"

All three of them stopped, trying to make out a voice through the static. "We can't hear you." Lavi took hold of the golem and gently shook it.

"…hard to… ack…recep…"

Lavi took a few steps back into the meadow and could clearly hear Komui's voice again. "Can you hear me now?"

"Yeah. Seems like the golem works only in this one spot."

He heard the older man sigh. "We can't help that. Just try to find Allen quickly and get him to bring you back. If you can't find him, at least report to me once night comes."

"Ok. Satoshi-san, you can show us the way to the village now."

Tanuma stared at him blankly until he realized what he'd called himself. "R-right. This way."

/*/*/*

"I don't see why I have to be the one doing this." Natsume tugged at the skirt, trying his best to hide his legs.

They were walking through the forest again after picking up some clothes Nyanko-sensei had hidden away. Why they were girl's clothes, he didn't explain very well. Natsume objected right away, but he was the only logical choice. Allen looked a little abnormal with his hand and eye, and Nyanko-sensei's girl form had already been seen by the youkai, who'd know it was him right away.

He was wearing simple clothing; a skirt, blouse, and blond wig. There weren't any shoes, so Natsume was at least content with keeping his own.

"You really do look like Reiko." The cat mused.

Natsume blushed. "You can forget about going to Nanatsuji's after this."

"You cold-hearted human."

"I'm really sorry you have to do this." Allen smiled apologetically.

Natsume shook his head, awkward at feeling hair rub against his neck, shoulders, and back. "Don't worry about it. You need to return home, right?"

Before Allen got a chance to answer, the cat shushed them and led them behind a wide bush. "Look. There she is."

Peering out, they say that they were by a lake and at the edge was a kneeling figure with her hands in the water. Her long black hair covered half of her back, which was facing them. "Are you sure that's her?"

"Of course."

Natsume eyed his bodyguard warily before stepping out.

"Good luck." Allen called. "We'll be here in case you need us."

The blond boy only smiled and approached the figure by the water. As he got closer, he heard her laughing, amusing herself with whatever swam in the lake.

He cleared his throat and spoke in a higher-pitched voice. "Um, hello?"

The girl whirled around, allowing him to see her clearly. She was pretty, if not beautiful. Her dark eyes were somewhat hidden by her bangs, small nose and thin lips set nicely on her face. She wore a plain spaghetti-strap dress that reach down to her knees. She walked barefoot with a small silver chain around her left ankle. "State who you are." She said defensively.

He put up his hands to show he didn't want to harm her. "I'm, uhh, Taki. And I just want to ask you something." He smiled nervously, hoping she wouldn't discover him.

The girl stepped closer and sniffed the air around him. "You're human." She considered his request for a few seconds. "What do you want to ask?"

Natsume relaxed slightly. "What do you know about other worlds?"

Instead of answering, the girl narrowed her eyes. "You are a girl, right?"

"Y-yeah. I am in girl's clothes."

"Hmm…ok then. I guess I could tell you a few things, but what, specifically, so you want to know. And why?"

Natsume decided to stick to the truth as much as possible. "I met someone who says their from another world, but doesn't know how to get back. And I heard that you would know about this kind of stuff."

"Who's this someone?"

"Allen Walker."

"That's a boy's name." She said thoughtfully. "Is he here with you?"

"Yes, he is." Natsume said cautiously. "But I also heard that you didn't like men very much, so I asked him to let me speak to you first."

She frowned. "I despise men, actually. But he can come out if he wants. I'd rather he were here where I can see him."

Natsume nodded and called out to him.

"Well, guess that means things are going smoothly for the moment." Allen told the cat.

"For the moment. Just be formal and speak only if spoken to. You don't want to get her angry." Nyanko-sensei leaped out while stood and followed.

Hearing the movement, the girl focused her attention at the closest one. But when she saw Allen, her eyes opened wide.

**_Ok, so I think there will be some pairings in the next chapter once they all meet up_**

**_but nothing too serious (sorry if I disappointing anyone)_**

**_Anyways, please review  
_**


	5. The Rendezvous

_**It took me a while to type this one up. Anyways, please read and review :3**_

_**Disclaimer: The characters belong to the authors of DGM and Natsume Youjinchou, not me.**_

~~The Rendezvous~~

When Allen stepped out, smiling politely and waving a greeting, the girl's eyes turned large. But it was for only a second and she went to stand behind Natsume, using him as a shield and wall, clutching his shoulders and glaring out.

Natsume shifted uncomfortably, praying that the girl wouldn't discover his true gender.

"Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you." Allen assured her.

Nyanko-sensei stepped hard on his foot and hissed. "Don't offend her."

But it was too late. "I am not afraid. And there is no chance that you can hurt me. Heck, I don't even have to help you if you want to hurt me."

She was screaming from right behind Natsume's ear, causing him to cover it. She looked at him sincerely. "Oh, I'm so sorry for screaming like that."

"It's fine. But you'll help us, right?"

She eyed Allen suspiciously. "Sure. Just don't let him get close." Her eyes went to the cat. "Madara. Nice little vessel you have there." She smirked. "But what happened to the nice female form you used to trick me with?"

"Actually, I thought you'd prefer a cat this time."

The girl shrugged and steered Natsume by the shoulders, keeping her place behind him. "We should go somewhere more, private. This kind of information shouldn't be known by everyone, even youkai."

"Thanks for helping." Allen said, but only received a glare.

"Natsume better not blow this." The cat whispered at his feet. "She'll be furious."

In front of them walked Natsume and the girl who now had her arms wrapped around his, glancing back every now and then. "I never asked what your name was." Nasume kept his voice feminine.

"Feel free to call me whatever you'd like." She smiled.

"How about Lina?" Allen chimed in.

"Hate it."

Inside, Allen was torn by her obvious resentment. He decided not to say anything anymore. Inside his pocket, Timcampy stirred and shot out. He flew around in circles in front of him. "You can fly ahead, if you want. Just don't get lost." Allen told him as Timcampy zipped off.

"I'll call you Yuuri, then." She nodded happily at Natsume's option. "I'm glad you like i- " He was suddenly pulled away, his back smashing into a tree trunk. He tried moving but found he was being held by thin white wires.

"Natsume!" Nyanko-sensei turned into his original form (at which Allen could only gape at from his left eye) and charged towards him. However, he stopped as a shadow stepped from behind the tree.

"I found you~! Now _he'll_ be pleased with me." It was a woman in a dark-colored kimono with wavy blond hair. She raised a hand so that the tips of her fingernail gently touched his neck. "I'll be taking you to see him now."

/*/*/*

"Oi, Satoshi-san. Are we almost there yet?"

"Almost. Once we pass the small lake, it'll be a three minute walk." He paused to coughed a few times. _Hope I'm not getting sick again. Or maybe there's a youkai nearby. _

Lavi glanced at his face. "You ok."

Tanuma nodded once he stopped. "Just swallowed something."

Kanda, who was silent behind them, spotted a glittering object flying towards them. He recognized it right away. "Hey, it's the moyashi's golem."

Lavi looked back to see Timcampy fluttering excitedly around them. "Then Allen's close by! Can you lead us to him, Timcampy?"

"Natsume!" Tanuma heard a yell, one only he had heard. _That must have been Ponta, meaning Natsume might be in trouble._

"Please wait here." He told the two in a hurry. "I'll be back." He dashed in the direction of the scream. Timcampy saw him and instantly fluttered behind him and Lavi and Kanda followed in turn.

The boy in front stopped abruptly, causing the golden golem to smash into his back. It wobbled dizzily as the other two caught up. "What's wrong?" Lavi asked. He looked around him to see Allen, who seemed to be staring at something in the air, and a blond girl against a tree. When he saw the girl, he felt as if an arrow had struck his heart. _Strike! _

Tanuma, on the other hand, could only stare at the pale youth. With silky silver hair, beautiful porcelain skin, and although there was some weird gear floating over his eye, was still very beautiful. _That has to be a girl,_ he thought to himself. _No boy can look that delicate._

Allen finally noticed the others standing close and shouted at them. "Don't come over here. It's dangerous."

"That's right." The kimono woman laughed. "You wouldn't want anyone dying, now would we."

"As if we'd let you!" Madara roared as he charged forward.

Allen activated his innocence and followed behind.

The woman laughed maniacally and shot spiderwebs from her sleeve. They wrapped around Madara and Allen, stopping them in their tracks.

But although all of this action was happening right in front of them, there were three who could only see a boy flailing around crazily. "Allen! What's going on?"

The young exorcist easily cut through the webs. "It's youkai. Just cut hi- um, her out of the tree."

Lavi had no idea of what was going on, but still he jogged to Natsume. _As long as I save her, then all would be well._

"Tch. Damn humans." The woman shot more webs, causing Lavi to slip.

"What do you want me for?" Natsume asked to distract his captor.

"My master just wants to talk to you." She smiled at him.

Yuuri, who had been standing aside, saw that small chance and ran to save him. Unfortunately, the spider-woman noticed her and caught her with webs around the neck. "Good try, but no." She pulled the web and raised her hand, ready to slash at her with her long sharp nails. However, the attack fell on Allen, who rushed in between the females. The scratch fell on his cheek, but he ignored it and attacked himself, purifying the youkai. She screamed, something that everyone heard, sending chills down multiple spines.

"What was that?" Kanda stepped forward. Allen was busy releasing Natsume while Madara turned back into his fat kitty self. Not liking the fact that he was ignored, Kanda called again. "Oi, moyashi! What just happened?"

Allen heard this time and ran to them (Lavi was just getting up, brooding over not being the hero). "Kanda, Lavi, how'd you get here?"

"We went through one of the ark's doors." Lavi explained. "Komui sent us to come get you." He looked past him and nodded towards Natsume, blushing a little. "Who's that?"

Allen didn't notice the blush. "That's, um, Taki."

'Taki' walked over to them with Yuuri besides him ("Great, more men." she muttered only loud enough for Natsume to hear.) and spoke to his friend, keeping up with the feminine voice. "Tanuma, what are you doing here?"

Tanuma caught on to some of what was happening._ Better pretend that Natsume's a girl too, then_. "I ran into these two and was leading them into the village."

Nyanko-sensei trotted over. "They're from another world as well, aren't they?"

Kanda glared directly at the cat, but Lavi gazed around. "Is there someone else around?"

Allen coughed, not wanting to go through the whole 'that cat can talk' thing and so he commenced in introducing everyone, starting with his exorcist friends. "This is Kanda, and Lavi. And these are Nyanko-sensei, Taki, and Yuuri." He turned to Tanuma and introduced himself. "My name is Allen."

"I am Tanuma."_Allen, I think that's a boy's name. So he's a boy. But he looks so much like a girl._ His mind was still undecided as he shook Allen's outstretched hand.

Kanda and Lavi, on the other hand, were thinking of other things. For one, the one they thought of as Satoshi was actually Tanuma, meaning that he lied to them. And second, they were puzzled over the fact that Allen introduced the empty air besides 'Taki' as Yuuri.

Yuuri noticed that and scowled. "I don't care if they can see me or not, but I suggest we leave to the small shed before other youkai, or men, decide to appear." She glanced at Allen ever so slightly, at the three scratch marks he had on his left cheek. "Taki, could you tell these humans that everything will be explained later."

Natsume nodded. "We're going to head to this shack and we can all explain our different stories there." Everyone agreed and followed him through the trees.

/*/*/*

Although it took Kanda and Lavi half an hour to fully accept the concept of youkai (two thirds of that time was spent on the talking cat), they were finally able to get into business. All of them were sitting on the ground in a circle as Yuuri began collecting evidence. "So this ark has different doors that lead to other places and you are the only one able to control them." She repeated and Allen nodded. "You can create a door at will but, for some reason, isn't working at the moment. Hmm..." She thought for a while before asking "How is it that you control the ark?"

"Usually with just my mind, but I feel closer to it by playing the piano on board, which acts as the controls."

"Is this like a special piano?"

"Yeah."

As the conversation continued, only two others were able to follow, the others could only keep up with Allen's side.

"That piano, that's what you're missing." Yuuri began explaining. "Traveling through worlds is a difficult thing. Not only are you traveling through space, but through time as well. It's impossible for one to do that by oneself, and would need some kind of instrument to open a portal. Your ark is one such instrument with the piano acting as the connection between it and you. By traveling to a different world without it, the connection has weakened."

"And how do we fix that?"

"By getting another piano, and I think I know where to find one. It belongs to another youkai I know, and getting her to surrender it will be difficult. But it's powerful and will probably be able to renew the connection." She stood up. "Meet me back here in three days, and I'll have it with me." She had begun walking out the door as she smiled sweetly at Natsume. "Bye, Taki." Then she was gone.

Allen took the chance to explain to the other three everything Yuuri had said. "So we're stuck here for at least three more days?" Lavi sighed and shook his head. "We should tell Komui."

Allen nodded. "And we'll stay here, then."

Natsume got up and picked up his cat. "I'll come back later with clothes for you two before taking you to the village' we don't want to attract too much attention. And I need to change out of these ridiculous outfit."

"But it looks great on you." Lavi said.

The cross-dresser took it a little offensively but chose to say nothing. He left with Tanuma behind him.

The three left sitting looked at each other. "I'll contact the Order." Kanda took the black golem and left to the stone statue's medow.

Lavi smiled at Allen "That friend of yours was kinda cute."

Allen was opening his mouth to tell him that Natsume was actually a boy, but closed it. It'd be better to let Lavi's mind wonder for a while longer and let him find out the truth himself later.

**____****I was thinking of the pairings LaviXNatsume and TanumaXAllen (but nothing too serious, probably just one-sided)**

**____****Tell me what you think of it or if some other pair would be better.**


	6. The Other Exorcist

_**Finally, I have the next chapter. I've been busy with my other story that I sort-of neglected this one. Sorry:)**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own DGM or Natsume Youjinchou**_

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~~The Other Exorcist~~

Because Tanuma's father was out of town for the weekend, he made the mistake of inviting the three exorcist over for dinner. He could only stare as Allen ate bowl after bowl of rice until there was not a grain to be found in the house. _How can he stay so skinny but eat enough for ten people._ Tanuma sighed, _but I guess that's what makes him cute._

"Would you show me where the toilet is?" Allen asked once they were all done eating.

"Sure, it's this way." Tanuma stood and led the way through the dark hallway. He stopped a few feet from a door and pointed. "It's that one there."

Allen smiled politely, making Tanuma glad for the darkness that hid his slight blush . "Thank you." The exorcist said as he walked past the other, but his tripped over Tanuma's and both of them fell to the floor.

The dark-haired boy just managed not to squash by landing on his outstretched hands. Allen was underneath him, between Tanuma's arms and knees, a very suspicious-looking position. Dark eyes couldn't stop from staring at the pale figure. Those lips, they look so soft. _Wait, what am I thinking! I'm a guy, and so is he!_ "H-hey, Allen." He could barely speak; they were so close together.

Allen, on the other hand, felt nothing weird about the way they were lying on the ground. "Eh, what is it?" He rubbed the back of his head, a little headache starting to come.

He cocked his head so adorably, Tanuma was sure he'd get a nosebleed but held it in. "Are you, sure, that you're...human?"

"I'm pretty sure. Why do you ask?"

_Because you're too beautiful!_ "No reason. Just making sure. With all the youkai Natsume attracts, it never hurts to be careful." He got up and quickly began making his way back to the others. "I'll be, uh, over there."

"Ok." When he'd left, Allen got up and entered the bathroom. _Was it just me, or was he acting a little weird?_

/*/*/*

Sleeping in the old shack wasn't the most comfortable thing, but none of the three exorcist complained. Tanuma would've let them stay at his house, but he wasn't sure when his father would arrive, and there weren't any close inns or hotels in the country-like village. So all three of them spread a few thin sheets on the floor and fell asleep using their uniforms as blankets.

Allen was the first to wake up, a little too early for his liking, and decided to walk outside. Careful not to wake the other two up, he changed into a similar outfit like the day before and instructed Tim to let Kanda and Lavi know that he'd return in an hour or two.

He made his way to the lake and found the girl, Yuuri, leaning over the water and giggling to herself. Out of politeness and habit, he called out to her. "Good morning."

Startled, she turned and grimaced when she saw him. "Oh, it's you."

Allen chose to pretend not to hear her and walked over to her. "What are you doing?"

Yuuri eyed him as he got closer, her eyes falling to the scratch marks on his cheek. Her expression soften a bit, but she still stood and backed away a few paces. "Nothing worth mentioning." She sighed in annoyance, quietly arguing with herself before speaking again. "It's not often that I thank humans (much less a guy), but I am grateful for what you did yesterday."

"Huh? Well, it's not like I would just let-"

"And because I don't like being in anyone's debt..."

"You don't need to-"

"I will tell you a few bits of information." Obviously, she was ignoring him, making the whole ordeal a little ironic. She snapped her fingers and pointed at the ground. "Now listen." Allen hurridly sat cross-legged as Yuuri sat on a rock. "Ok, then. Since you have at you disposal, a machine capable of opening doors to other worlds, I will tell you the simple rules to it. But first I'll warn you, don't go blindly jumping into other places because you won't know where you end up. You also need some kind of connection (the piano for instance) and you might strand yourself on some desolated area with no way to return." She paused to check that the boy was listening. "And that brings me to the first rule, make sure you have a way back, unless you want to be stranded.

"Once you're at this other world, all of it's rules and laws will apply to you. For example, if you arrive at a place where the all inhabitants blow fire from their mouths, then so will you. That will happen when you first make contact with another. Did you happen to feel anything strange when you met Taki?"

_Taki? Oh, right, Natsume._ "When we shook hands, I did feel-"

"What you felt was the rules of this world forcing themselves onto your existence. You could pick up all kinds of new talents, like languages or special abilities." She stood over him and poked him on the forehead. "That is probably why you can see me." She crossed her arms and turned to her side. "That's it. Any questions?" Allen raised his hand. "Yes?"

"If I return back home, will I still be able to come back?" Allen had taken a liking to the strange, but calm environment. If he left, he'd want a valid yes or no as to whether he'd be able to see his new friends again.

"Yes, you could, but I wouldn't suggest that you come back too often."

"Why's that?"

"You'll be messing with the balance. I'd go into detail, but it's too complex for a young human brain to understand."

The young human stood and brushed the dirt from his jeans. "Ok. Thanks for the information." He was leaving, knowing that Yuuri didn't really enjoy his company when called him to wait. "I might be able to get the piano a day sooner, so be ready by tomorrow. And tell Taki that I'll drop by later."

Allen smiled his captivating smile. "Thanks. I'll make sure to giver her your message." Then he returned to the shack.

Yuuri stared at the ground and kicked a pebble with her bare foot without any pain. _Stupid men_.

When Allen returned to the temporary home, Lavi and Kanda were already out and about. "Oi, moyashi. Where were you?" Kanda demanded, wearing low jeans and regular t-shirt.

"Just taking a walk, Bakanda."

The samurai glared at him before muttering, "if it's not the idiot usagi, then it's the idiot moyashi."

Lavi decided to steer the conversation for the sake of the thin (very thin) string that held them together. "Allen, any idea when that girl will come back?" Of course, he was talking about Natsume, still oblivious to the fact that she was actually a he.

Kanda had figured it out at first glance, but because he was such a good friend towards Lavi, let him daydream a little longer.

"Y-yeah. I think. Natsume said he'd be here with breakfast." He scratched his head, starting to feel a little guilty. But as soon as he appeared in boy's clothing, Lavi would figure it all out.

That wasn't the case, though. Natsume came back, but in girl's clothing again and despair in his face. The cat walked besides him with a smirk. Lavi smiled with joy at his arrival. "Natsume~!" He took hold of one of the blond's hands. "You're looking beautiful today."

"..."

Nyanko-sensei laughed until he ended up on his back. "This human hasn't figured it out yet!"

Lavi looked at him puzzled. "Figured what out?"

"Not you too." Natsume looked even more distressed.

At that, a man stepped out into the clearing. He was blond too, with dark, red-ish eyes and glasses. He saw Lavi holding onto Natsume and quickly assumed an annoyed expression. He grabbed Natsume by the other arm and pulled gently. "What are you doing with my woman?"

Said boy blushed furiously. "Natori-san!"

Lavi didn't let go, but pulled onto the arm. "She doesn't want to go with you. So let her go."

Natori pulled again, a dark smile on his lips. "I don't think so." Both men began a tug of war while Nyanko-sensei kept laughing, Allen watched (and hoped that Natsume wouldn't be hurt) and Kanda simply chose to ignore the whole ordeal.

Having enough, Natsume snatched his hands from them. "I'm a guy!" His hands shook in furry and humiliation. "I would appreciate it, Natori-san, if you would stop with this pretense." All was silent except for one giggling fat kitty. In anger, Natsume picked up a stick and hurled it at him, hitting him right on the forehead. "This is all your fault."

During Natsume's small explosion, Lavi looked like he'd broke. He stared at the 'girl' before him, disbelieving. Allen went to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry about this, Lavi."

His head slumped. "I..."

Allen looked at him. "What is it?"

"I..."

Worried about his friend, Allen gently shook him. "Lavi, are you ok?"

"I DON'T CARE!" The red head cried and jumped on Natsume, catching him completely by surprise. "Man or woman, you have captured my heart! I will throw all my morals away if it meant we could be together."

"La...Lavi-san...I can't breath..."

"Baka usagi." Kanda finally stepped into action and slammed Mugen (in it's sheath) on his head.

Natsume gasped for air for a few seconds before speaking again. "I'm only in this costume because Yuuri might show up at any moment; it doesn't mean anything." He straightened up. "Anyways, we'll be eating at a small shop. Natori-san," he motioned at the man standing with them, "agreed to treat you three."

"What about you?" Allen asked him. He didn't really like the idea of following a man they'd just met into unknown territory.

"I have some, business, to do here, concerning another youkai. You can trust Natori-san, he wants to help too."

The small group split up. Natori, Allen, Kanda, and a hurting Lavi went into town while Natsume and Nyanko-sensei went deeper into the forest. Allen saw another youkai, a woman with short fair hair and white mask with a crack on it, follow them but because Natsume didn't seem bothered by it, left the matter alone.

Natori gave the other three a short tour on their way to a coffee shop. Once seated inside a small booth, Natori let them order. "Eat as much as you want."

Allen's face lit up. "Ok!" He was always the hungriest after waking up.

Kanda and Lavi glanced at each other briefly. "Are you sure about that?" Lavi asked, very aware of Allen's eating habit.

Natori grinned. "Of course. I have enough in my wallet to feed three children." But once the food arrived, Natori wanted to change his last statement. He wasn't feeding three children, he was feeding two and one vacuum. He watched in horror as the smallest boy devoured four courses in less than twenty minutes.

When he was done, he put his utensil down and put his hands together. "Thank you for the meal." He said to no one in particular.

The man put down his coffee, the only thing he ordered to save himself at least a little money. "So, Takashi-san's told me that you come from another world."

Before Allen could respond, Kanda spoke. "Exactly who are you?"

The man chuckled. "Right, we haven't been properly introduced. I am Shuichi Natori, a movie actor as well as an exorcist."

"Exorcist, as in, exterminating youkai exorcist?" Allen was sure there was no Black Order in this world, so this man had to be the other kind of exorcist. "So you can see youkai like Natsume-san?"

Natori looked surprised for a minute. "So, he's told you about that? Takashi-kun doesn't normally go out telling everyone that."

"Well, it's probably because I can see them too. But just through my left eye." Allen looked around to make sure no one was staring in their direction before showing gear that rotated over his eye.

"Impressive." Natori leaned forward, offering a hand shake. "I'm glad you're all taking this youkai-seeing business rather calmly."

Allen shook the hand. "I am Allen Walker, by the way. This is Lavi and Kanda."

After they all shook hands with the other exorcist, Allen's eye reacted on its own. He looked towards the ceiling just in time to see the youkai with the mask phase through upside down. Natori saw him and gazed up to the same spot. "Hiiragi? What's the matter?"

"The boy and his cat have been ambushed. The boy's been caught and his cat is chasing them right now, and he asked me to come get you."

Natori stood, a worried expression on his face; that bodygaurd wouldn't be asking for help if it wasn't serious. "How many?"

"Four of them. And I think I recognized some of them as being Matoba's."

Cursing silently, Natori turned to the three boys across from him. "If you wouldn't mind, I need to leave right now. You know the way back, right?"

"I'm coming too." Allen said.

"I don't want to drag you into this."

"We can't just stand here while Natsume-kun's being kidnapped." Lavi argued. He looked at his friends for support. "Right?"

Allen nodded. "We're coming."

Kanda _che_'d. "How are we supposed to fight something we can't see?"

* * *

_**Well, hope you like the pairings (although they are one-sided and will probably stay that way)**_

_**Personally, I prefer NatorixNatsume, but I guess Lavi's ok (not that I don't like him, he AWESOME)**_

_**Please review:3**_


	7. The Rescue

_**A/N: Sorry for the whole MIA business, but at least I pulled through with another chapter =3**_

_**Warning: A little shounen-ai between Matoba and Natsume, but's its nothing serious (would that be considered good or bad?)**_

_**Disclaimer: I neither own Man or Natsume Yuujinchou (which sux :P)**_

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~~The Rescue~~

Everything was wet and warm. The stickiness of the liquid surrounding Natsume was enough to keep him from moving around too much. His breath was limited inside the dark enclosed space, so he tried not to gasp as the large object he was in moved harshly. For twenty minutes he was stuck inside when the movement finally stopped. He began kicking when he was suddenly spit out by the youkai that carried him in its mouth. Natsume was dropped to the ground in a gooey mess. He coughed and tried wiping his face with the inside of his shirt. A small part of him was amazed that the wig was still on his head.

"Well, well. I never knew you were a cross-dresser."

Natsume looked up at the friendly-sounding voice. It was the dark-haired man he'd met before, or more accurately, was kidnapped by before. "Matoba."

"I'm honored that you remember me."

"It's hard to forget the name of the person who tied me up a while back."

Matoba laughed. "True." He stood before Natsume and waved the giant blob-type youkai away. "But I really want to talk to you. You know, there's a lot of rumors among the youkai about the name Natsume, especially Reiko Natsume."

The boy resisted the urge to feel for the pouch that hung around his waist; that would've been a dead give-away. He decided to act dumb until his bodyguard arrived. "What sort of rumors, exactly?"

Matoba crouched down and scratched his chin. "Most of the time, it's about how strong and beautiful she is." He glanced down at Natsume and smiled. "They weren't lying."

The blond blushed in embarrassment. "What do you want?" He needed to stall him, to take more time.

"Don't you believe me when I say that I only want to talk?"

"Not really." Natsume quickly took a survey of the room and found only one exit, behind Matoba. But even if he did make it past the man, there were still his underlings that were most likely hiding somewhere.

"Hmmm. I guess I'll just admit it now." Matoba cupped the boy's chin and stroked the pale cheek with his thumb. On instinct, Natsume's fist flew to the man's face, but was easily caught by the wrist. Tightening his hold, Matoba leaned to Natsume's ear. "I was actually hoping you would be able to, 'entertain' me for a while." The words had barely left his mouth when he suddenly pushed the smaller boy to the ground. Using one hand he was able to pin both of Natsume's over his head.

He struggled to be released as Matoba loomed over him. "You're sick!"

"Hey, I'm not the one in a skirt." Using his free hand, Matoba caressed the soft skin of Natsume's exposed thigh. Seeing the small shiver run up the body beneath him, he lifted his hand a little higher. "I wonder if you're wearing woman's underwear too..." He chuckled.

"Get off me!" Natsume raised his knee right into the man's gut, causing him to release his hold. He crawled from underneath and ran to the exit. Before he could reach it, the gooey-like youkai that brought him there blocked his way. Natsume didn't stop though, but lifted his fist and punched the youkai in the center. His fist was instantly engulfed and as much as he tried to pull it out, it stayed inside.

A few yards away, Matoba was slowly getting up when another youkai, a young girl in a kimono, flew down and whispered something into his ear. "Ahhh, interesting. Yes, let them pass, I want to see this myself." As the girl left through the ceiling, the man turned back to Natsume. "It seems that some very, unique, friends of yours are coming to rescue you." He had a small smile on his lips. "So I guess that, once again, we won't be able to have our little talk. Pity. However, I do feel like playing a game." He walked to where the youkai and boy were standing and in a flash took hold of Natsume's free arm. He slammed it onto the sticky substance so that Natsume whole backside was glued to the youkai. "You can be the damsel in distress, while I can be the dark lord. And whoever frees you can be prince charming." Matoba looked up at his servant, glaring intently. "Don't let anyone free him."

The youkai answered a low "yes master" and let his captive sink a little more into its skin. Natsume shivered as the cold substance pulled him in until only his head, chest and part of his legs and arms remained outside. Slowly, the youkai moved to the other side of the room and as far away from the exit as possible.

It wasn't long before noises could be heard from outside, yelling, banging, and even some screaming. As the sounds came closer, three other youkai appeared and stood besides Matoba. The one Natsume recognized right away was the giant green head he and Natori had sealed away. The man noticed the stare and patted the head lightly. "It took me quite some time and strength to release him. I guess that proves just how powerful you are."

_And he must be incredibly powerful to release it so fast._ The blond said nothing as the first figure stepped in. A large white fox stormed in, blowing wind everywhere. He stopped and stood rooted to the spot once he saw Natsume. "Release him!" He growled.

Four others ran in behind him, breathing hard from the fighting in the halls. Lavi, holding a giant hammer in his hand, looked utterly bewildered. "Natsume! How are you flying like that?"

Matoba blinked. "What? Are you saying that you can't see them?" He smiled. "That should make this interesting."

"Matoba. Stop this right now. You can't just go around kidnapping people." called Natori.

"It's just a simple game. Rescue the princess and you win, right Natsume?"

Natsume wasn't paying attention, he hadn't since nyanko-sensei had first stormed in. Instead, he had been occupied by the golden golem that had proceeded in taking bites of the youkai. Said spirit took this as an attempt to free the captive and began thrashing around to grab Timcampy but failed every time. Apparantly, the golem had a plan in its head as it continued biting and dodging, leading the youkai away from its spot. By the time Matoba had turned around, he was bombarded by the huge blob, sending them both to the floor.

"Now! Kanda, Lavi, head towards his left." At Natori's order, both exorcists charged blindly at the spot he had said where a youkai, a combination of a man and wolf, stood. At the same time, Madara went for the decapitated head while Allen ran towards other spirit that looked a lot like level three akuma except that it had skin.

Once Matoba had finally gotten out form beneath the blob-servant, he noticed the fight that had begun. Only Natori stood back, directing both Lavi and Kanda on where to hit and when to dodge.

"This is so confusing!" Lavi whined as he jumped back at Natori's demand.

"Che." Kanda grunted as he felt something swish by his head. He swung his katana and felt it graze something. "If you're going to complain, leave. I can handle this myself."

Lavi glanced at him from the corner of his eye. "I'll go get Natsume then." Kanda grunted again, signaling that it was fine. The redhead turned to Natsume, still floating in the air and Matoba standing close. Making a quick decision, he raised his hammer high before letting it struck the ground creating a long chain of fire. The fire snake opened its mouth in a silent screech and encircled the three. Matoba shielded his face with his arms and his servant screamed. Slowly, it melted onto the ground leaving Natsume free to collapse.

As quickly as it appeared, the fire vanished. Blinded for a second by the intense light, Natsume could only feel a pair of hands lift him and hoist him over someone's shoulders. "I win." Lavi said, smiling triumphantly.

"I guess-_cough_- you do." Matoba continued coughing from the smoke before standing up straight. "This should be enough for one day. I wanted to talk to little Natsume-kun and I did. I just hope that next time, we get to talk about a certain 'book', ne?"

Lavi felt Natsume stiffen at the mention of the book. "Just call off your youkai." Natsume yelled from Lavi's back.

Matoba sighed and snapped his fingers. Immediately, the fighting ceased and the head and wolf-man youkai went to him (Allen had purified the other one). The wolf-man pick up his master and hopped on top the green head. No one stopped them as they left out the door, Matoba waving before he was out of view. "I hope to see you all another day."

_I really don't like that guy,_ Lavi thought. _Well, at least I got to save my darling Natsume-kun._ "Are you ok? He didn't hurt or anything, did he?"

"No, not really. But, um..." Natsume shifted uneasily. "I don't feel very comfortable here so...could you put down, Lavi-san?"

"Huh?" Turning to him, Lavi finally seemed to notice their position. His arm was wrapped around his bare thighs, palm toughing soft skin, and the skirt was pushed a little higher than it should be. Quickly, Lavi turned away to prevent a nose-bleed. "Y-yeah. Sorry about that."

Nyanko-sensei in kitty form trotted over along with everyone else. "We should leave now." The cat said. Him and Natsume shared a worried look that didn't go unnoticed.

"Are you ok?" Allen asked.

Natsume smiled. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry for getting you involved in this."

Allen waved his hands in front of him. "Don't be, you're our friend."

"Yes but," he eyed Kanda who had a cut from elbow to shoulder "you got hurt."

The injured guy crossed his arms not showing the slightest hint of pain. "I heal fast."

"Still...ano, Nyanko-sensei, would you mind going to my house to get the first aid kit?"

The cat frowned. "Do I look like a maid to you? I am not a simple servant you can send from place to place and besides, I'm sure the silk worm's friend can take care of it himself."

Lavi stifled a laugh. "Silk worm? That's almost as hilarious as moyashi!"

Allen grimaced. "Yes yes, its very funny. But can we get out of here now."

"Walker-san's right." Notari said. "It's getting late, and I still have to finish a shot not far from here. I'll see you tomorrow." And with that, Natori was on his way followed later by a grumpy and complaining cat.

"We'll head back to the shack, get you all fixed up, then maybe walk around or something." Natsume said. Everyone agreed and left the old abandoned house they were in.

/*/*/*

"Here's the damn box you sent me to get." Nyanko-sensei threw the small white box at Natsume (still in his disguise but wearing jeans) hitting him right in the gut.

"Ite! You didn't have to hit me with it!" He snatched it from where it had landed to the floor. "Kanda-san, would you mind removing you shirt."

The samurai was sitting on the old, worn out bed leafing through a book he had found earlier. He narrowed his eyes at him, but still obeyed. Natsume sat next to him and looked through the box's contents.

"Hey! I'm hurt too." Lavi whined. He lifted his shirt up midway to reveal a wound although not as serious as Kanda's. "Heal me instead and the moyashi ("Hey!" Allen called from behind) can help Kanda." He pulled Natsume up by the arm and replaced him with Allen.

"Fine then. I'll tend to Kanda." The white-haired boy began rubbing a cotton swab with disinfectant while the other sat silently.

Lavi happily removed his own shirt and sat on a chair. The blond knelt down and did the same thing as Allen but received different results. Lavi hissed in pain as soon as the cotton swab touched his skin. "Sorry I didn't warn you, Lavi-san."

"I've been through worse."

"Worse than fighting spirits you couldn't see?"

"Hmm...how about an invasion of hundreds of akuma that attack us in our own home with only about a dozen actually capable of fighting back."

Natsume looked up with a frightened expression. _Just what are these people being put through?_

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**A/N: I honestly had no idea of where to stop so I feel that it was kinda rushed. Oh well. Anyways, this is the 2nd to last chapter FYI**

**Please Review and I just might update in less than a month =3**


	8. The Door

_**A/N: ...I don't have much to say but, have fun reading :)**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot and Yuuri.**_

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~~The Door~~

For some reason, once morning came and everyone in the little shack had woken up, all three exorcist were sleeping on the floor, together. Allen and Kanda laid next to each other while Lavi was sprawled across them both. Unfortunately, the first to wake up was Kanda who, right away, proceeded in pulling out Mugen to get rid of the other two.

"STOP!" Both Allen and Lavi were running around the room. Suddenly, Allen felt someone grip his arm and pull him backwards. "Here! Take Allen!" Lavi threw the sacrifice at the demon and took off to the other side of the room.

As Allen stumbled to regain his footing, Kanda raised his katana high. The younger one squeaked and brought his hand up to defend his face, but the attack never came. He opened one eye only to see empty space in front of him. Upon looking down, he saw Kanda on the floor face down with a certain fat kitty sitting on his head. "Uh, hi Nyanko-sensei." Allen greeted uncertainly.

"Good morning." With his own elegance, the cat jumped off and began licking his paw. "I'm here to take you to Natsume's house for breakfast. Both of his guardians apparently found out about the 'foreign kids' he met after collapsing at his doorstep, so they decided to have you all over-"

"He collapsed! Why?" Lavi had decided to join them once he heard Natsume's name.

Meanwhile, Kanda groaned and sat up, three times more angrier than before. If their return weren't so dependent on the weird cross-dressing boy and his cat, then he would have sliced the fat thing to pieces already.

Nyanko-sensei hopped and landed full force onto Lavi's foot, making him cry out in pain. "Quiet, human. Don't interrupt while I am speaking." He went back to his original spot and continued. "Apparently, the youkai from yesterday sucked some of Natsume's energy, making him sick with fever (such a skinny weak thing he is) and he chose not to say anything about it until falling unconscious. Really, that brat is nothing but trouble."

"How is he now?" Allen was worried for his new friend.

"Nothing serious. He was getting dressed when I left him. Now, let's go. I'm starving." He hummed to himself, thinking of what delicious meal would be cooked as he trotted out the door.

The three exorcists looked at each other for a second before following the cat. "How did he get sick?" Lavi thought out loud. "He was fine yesterday when he left yesterday."

Allen nodded in agreement. "He even helped us with our own injuries.

"He's just good at hiding it." Kanda said flatly.

Lavi, who was leading the other two, stopped abruptly when Nyanko-sensei had sat on the floor to speak to them. "What is it now?" Kanda asked with irritation.

"There are a few things Natsume asked me to tell you." He began, looking very serious for once. Feeling the mood, the exorcists played close attention to his words. "Natsume's guardians don't know anything about youkai, so to them, I'm just a normal pet cat. And you three," he looked at each of them intently, "are foreign exchange students from England who came here on a small trip. And knowing that none of you have the slightest clue about this place, Natsume offered to care for you while you remain in this country. Got that?"

All three nodded. "So, no one knows about Natsume's sight?" Allen asked.

"No. And he wants to keep it that way." The cat retorted.

"But, that must be tough." Lavi said. "Having to lie all of the time, and keep such a huge thing secret."

"Well, that's the way the little brat chooses to live."

Everyone remained silent until they arrived at the door. Nyanko-sensei nudged Allen to knock on the door before running off behind the house. Allen did so and waited until a woman with her brown hair tied back in a bun and apron tied around her waist. "Good morning." Allen greeted as kindly as he could. "We're friends of Natsume's."

The woman smiled broadly. "Oh! You must be the kids he was talking about. My, aren't you a little too young to be traveling alone?"

Lavi stepped forward. "Actually, I'm already eighteen."

"Such young adults!" The woman laughed lightly. The exorcists immediately took a liking to her. "Well, please, come in. I am Touko Fujiwara."

"I am Allen Walker and my friends are Yuu Kanda and Lavi. It's a pleasure to meet you." They all entered the small, cozy house and into the dinning room.

"Take a seat while I finish making breakfast with Takashi." Touko said and left the room.

"She's really nice, she didn't even stare at my weird hair." Allen commented while they waited. "I guess that's why Natsume won't tell them, to protect them."

"In a way, he's kind of like you."

Allen turned to Lavi to ask why but was interrupted by Touko and Natsume's return carring a large bowl and plate. "I hope you like rice and fish." Touko smiled. (A/N: I'm not sure what a japanesse breakfast would be so, it's rice and fish for now)

Once everyone had food on their plate, only three of them began eating while two of them struggled to hold their chopsticks. Kanda took one look at Allen and Lavi and mumbled, "pathetic."

"Just give me some time." Lavi adjusted the sticks and was soon, more or less, picking up food. He grinned triumphantly and glanced over at Allen. He was able to hold them at this time, but every time he tried picking up food, the chopsticks slid against one another, dropping whatever he was holding.

"Would you like a fork instead?" Natsume asked after a while.

"If you wouldn't mind." The white-haired boy felt completely embarrassed at being the only one not able to eat and he distinctly heard a chuckle from under the table where Nyanko-sensei was eating.

Natsume stood up. "I'll go see if we have one."

"Try the drawer by the refrigerator." Touko called as he left. She then noticed Allen's flushed face and laughed lightly. "No need to be embarrassed. I'm sure this is your first time using chopsticks."

Soon, Allen had his fork and all finished eating happily; Allen only ate a bit to keep from embarrassing himself in front of Touko. Natsume began picking up the dishes but Touko took them from him. "Don't worry yourself about cleaning. I know you want to go out with your friends." She patted his head. "Just don't overdo it, ok?"

Nodding, the blond pick up Nyanko-sensei and led them all towards the door. "I'll help you set up lunch later." He told her.

As soon as they were out the door, they Natsume was bombarded by two creatures. Allen's eye reacted right away and was able to see one of them that looked like a large walking yak and the other had only one eye in its forehead. "What is it?" Natsume sighed.

"Is something wrong?" Lavi asked, confused.

"There are two youkai here." Allen pointed to the space in front of Natsume. "But they don't seem bad, right?"

"No, they're ok." He assured everyone, then turned to the spirits. "So, why are you here?"

The one-eyed one responded. "The spirit, Yuuri, told us to tell you that you should meet her at the old shack before the sun sets."

Allen rallied the message to Kanda and Lavi then asked his own question. "But why before sunset?"

The youkai gasped. "Another human that can see us!"

The yak answered. "She didn't say why. But if you're not there, then you miss you chance."

"Can we have a cookie now?" They both pleaded.

"I don't have any right now. Why don't you come back tomorrow." They both nodded glumly at Natsume and left.

"Do you think she got the piano?" Lavi walked along the street with the rest following.

"But she said it would take three days." Allen shrugged. "Why don't we send Timcampy? He could go check for it." Reaching into his coat's pocket, he pulled out the golden orb. "Go check the shack, but stay out of sight." Tim nodded and fluttered off his palm, keeping close to the trees.

"Then this might be you last day here." Natsume said.

"Good riddance." Nyanko-sensei muttered. Unfortunately, his comment was heard by the one carrying him and was dropped harshly on the ground.

"Oof! How dare you, you ungrateful human!"

"Sorry, Nyanko-sensei, but I got this sudden cramp on my wrist." The boy smiled innocently.

"Liar!"

They were interrupted in their small quarrel by a young man who attracted the attention of every girl walking by. "What a coincidence meeting you here. I was just on my way to Takashi's house."

Natsume paused in his mid-punch. "Natori-san?"

"Looks like this is turning into a reunion!" Lavi exclaimed. "We just need that Tanuma kid."

"We really shouldn't involve him." Natsume replied softly. He saw Natori's questioning look and said, "Tanuma's a friend of mine, but he can't see youkai."

"But it's not like we're fighting any right now." Reasoned Allen. "And I want to thank him for helping us before we leave."

"You're leaving already?" Natori shook his head. "As soon as I meet interesting people, they leave. Oh well, I guess there's no helping it. But we should do something fun."

"Like what?" Natsume asked.

"I saw an arcade on my way over. And I'm sure you could invite your other friend to that."

"An arcade? What is that?" Allen's voice was full of curiosity.

Natori gave him a shocked expression. "You've never heard of an arcade? What kind of world do you come from?"

"A normal one." Was all the answer Allen would give.

/*/*/*

In the end, Tanuma (who was glad to see Allen again) was invited and the six of them spent the morning showing the exorcists about fighting and driving games. Kanda refused to play at first, but once he was called a coward by Lavi, took it upon himself to defeat every single one of them, which he did after only a few rounds of practice.

Allen, Tanuma, and Natori raced each other on cars, but went easy on Allen who kept crashing at every turn. Lavi was awed by the claw crane and insisted on winning something for Natsume. They were later joined by Kanda and the two exorcist fought for control to show who was the better one.

Eventually, Natsume noticed that Nyanko-sensei was missing. Just as he was about to ask about him, he appeared walking towards him, cheeks puffed. "Where were you?" The boy asked.

"Out hunting. Look at what I caught." He opened his mouth and out flew a distressed Timcampy who threw itself straight at Natsume.

"Nyanko-sensie!"

"I was just bringing him here safely, and inside my mouth is the safest place." the cat retorted.

"Unless it's food."

"What is it, Natsume?" Allen made his way over, exhausted from losing ten races in a row. Hearing his voice, Timcampy fluttered over to him, tugging at his sleeve. "You saw the piano?"

By now, everyone was gathered around them. "We should head out then." Kanda turned to the exit and made his way towards the shack.

Lavi sighed. "Someone's impatient."

Kanda heard him and glaced back. "Who would want to be stranded with the moyashi and baka usagi?"

"Well, who would want to be stranded with you, BAKANDA!" Allen yelled after him.

Those behind them laughed and followed the samurai out. On their walk, they all laughed and joked and exchanged information about each other's worlds ("You still use candles and lanterns!" Natori exclaimed at some point). Lavi trailed back and walked besides Tanuma and their conversation turned out to be about Natsume. "I'm glad he's enjoying himself." Tanuma said. "Lately, he's been spending a lot of time with youkai, and he seems a little distant."

Lavi nodded. "I noticed that. And when he smiles, it looks a little forced. As if he's hiding behind it. He reminds me of my friend."

"Allen, you mean?"

"Yeah. He always takes it upon himself to protect everyone precious to him, throwing himself into danger without telling us."

Tanuma nodded. "That does sound like Natsume." He touched his chest, thinking back to one of his memories. "I was once possessed by a youkai and I was finally able to see what he did. Youkai do look pretty cool, but some of them were scary, and dangerous too. I couldn't believe that that was the world he was a part of, a world only a few were able to see. And he kept it hidden, suffering all alone."

"Allen is like that too, since he's the only one able to see the souls inside the akuma we fight. I also was able to catch a glimpse into his world and the sight scared me. The souls can see and hear everything that goes around them and can only cry as they kill those they love. I wasn't able to stomach anything after seeing only one myself." Lavi chuckled. "They really are the same."

"And as their friends, we should help them however we can." Tanuma said.

"Yeah." Lavi agreed.

When they arrived at the small clearing, they found a black piano right next to the shack. "It really is here." Allen walked over to it and ran a finger over the shiny black covering.

Natsume stayed back under the shadow of the trees. "I'll be right back. I need to get my disguise before Yuuri comes."

"There's no need for that."

Five heads turned to the sound of the voice. The other three still had their attention on the piano.

A young, dark-haired girl walked over to them or, more specifically, to Natsume. "Hello there, 'Taki'." There was a lot of stress put on the name.

"Y-Yuuri. You're here." _I blew it._ Natsume thought.

"Of course I'm here." With her hands behind her back, she circled Natsume slowly and carefully. "So, you really are a boy."

"I'm really sorry I lied to you, but we needed your help."

"You don't have to apologize." Yuuri said. "Lying is in a boy's nature, you can't help it. I knew you were a boy from the start anyways, but you resembled a woman so much, I was starting to have my doubts."

There were chuckles coming from those that could hear them. Lavi, Kanda, and Tanuma looked lost and were trying to figure out why the others were laughing and, once Allen explained it to them, were laughing as well (except for Kanda who just rolled his eyes).

Yuuri eyed them. "And so, the group of men just gets bigger. What did I ever do to deserve this? I shouldn't even be here at this point."

"So, you're still going to help us?" Natsume tried to hide the annoyance for being laughed at from his voice.

"Well..." Yuuri tapped her bare foot on the ground. "You did go through a lot by dressing up and being laughed at. And those three," she shot a glare at the exorcists, "really shouldn't be here. But then again, Madara's still here and he never apologized for tricking me..." She let her sentence end in a sigh.

Natume looked down at the cat. "Nyanko-sensei, apologize."

"Why should I?" After a kick, Nyanko-sensei was able to mutter a very pathetic "sorry."

Yuuri smiled happily. "I accept you apology." She frowned suddenly. "But I still want you to stay away from me. not you though, Natsume, I kind of like you."

Said boy gave a grim smile. "So, you knew my name."

"Hinoe told me a bit about you. Yes, I despise men, but boys...the younger the better. Anyways, Hinoe put in a good word for you once I asked about a human child that hangs around Madara."

Being bothered by something, Allen spoke. "If you say you're ok with boys, why are you so cold to me?"

"Because of your silver hair." She spat. "It always reminds me of _him_. That stupid, idiotic boy with that stupid, idiotic ogre-eating tengu that always follows him around." Her whole form was shaking in anger as she spoke. "Every time I see you, I see him and remember that, that trick! He's the whole reason I hate men. So I liked scaring people who came to the lake, big deal. He didn't have to completely _humiliate_ me to make me stop. And when I steal the money he got for that, he didn't have to..." Her face was completely red, from anger or embarrassment, no one could tell. She stomped her foot once and breathed deeply to calm down. "Stupid albino with the stupid red eyes." She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with her forefinger and thumb. "Ok. I'm done with my rant. I hope that explained it."

_No. Not really_. Allen kept his thought inside his mind. "Um, then, would you tell me how to do this?" He motioned at the piano.

She nodded. "You sit on it." She waited for Allen to do just that. "Open the cover." Allen opened it. "Then you play."

"That's it?"

"Look, you're the one who said you used a piano to control that ark of yours, so do whatever it is you do on this piano." Yuuri huffed.

He nodded as Timcampy took his place before him and opened its mouth to let the weird symbols float above it. Allen took a look at the notes before playing, concentrating on what he wanted to happen. The soft melody filled everyone's ears_. A beautiful song coming from a beautiful person._ Tanuma sighed.

The air in front of the piano became blurry, almost like there was intense heat in that spot. Weird shapes appeared, coming together to form a door into Allen's ark. "You did it!" Lavi cried.

"That's a door?" No matter how Natsume looked at it, it had no resemblance to a door.

"Yeah, it is." Allen stood from his seat. "I guess this is goodbye."

They all look at each other, uncertain of what to do. Lavi broke the silence first by grasping Natsume in a tight hug. "I'll miss you soooooo much! Don't forget about me."

"I...won't..." As soon as he was released, Natsume gasped for air. "Allen, Kanda, it was nice meeting you."

"Thank you all for helping." Allen bowed. He elbowed Kanda to say something.

"Don't get yourselves killed." He grumbled.

The three of them waved, saying thanks and goodbye as they each stepped through. Allen, however was grabbed by the hand just as he had one foot in. "Don't forget my warning." Yuuri said. "Return only if you have to."

"Ok."

"And..." her forehead scrunched up in thought. "I don't really hate you, I just dislike you a bit."

"Um, thanks...?" He waved one last time at his new friends as they disappeared from view.

/*/*/*

He appeared before the same door he had fallen through, which was still open. He gazed back inside, but still saw the darkness everywhere. From behind him, Lavi spoke. "It was nice there, but it's still good to be back home."

"Yeah, it is." Allen turned back around. "Hey, where's Kanda?"

"He left as soon as we got here to report. We should go too, everyone was worried about us."

"Lavi, do you have a pen with you?"

"Yes." He patted his pockets and pulled one out. "Why?"

He watch curiously as Allen closed the door and ripped the paper with the question mark off. He flipped it over, re-taped it, and wrote on it. "There." He said. "Now lets go see Lenalee and Komui to let them know we're back."

They both left, leaving the door to the other world with two words written on it.

_Natsume's Door._

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_**A/N: Finally, it's finished! I feel so accomplished right now. About the albino boy that looks like Allen, he's real and if you guess who it is, I'll tell whether you're right or wrong. Please review and tell me if you like it or not and also, I'll have a poll up soon to vote for the next cross-over I write. It will be about Ryou Bakura (from Yu-Gi-Oh) and something else. Thank you for reading =3**_


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